


And I Feel Hopper In This Russian Prison Tonight.

by LovelySheree



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Hopper - Freeform, Russian prison, Spoilers, Stranger Things 3, Stranger Things 3 Spoilers, and I feel hopper in this Russian prison tonight, he escapes, stranger things, the one where hopper doesn't die, there's a ladder
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2020-06-24 12:03:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19723300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LovelySheree/pseuds/LovelySheree
Summary: Stranger Things 3 Spoilers! Don't read if you haven't finished the season!!A one-shot featuring Hopper as "The American."





	And I Feel Hopper In This Russian Prison Tonight.

He doesn’t know how long it’s been. Weeks. Months. It _feels_ like years, but he knows had it years, his beard would be longer than the shoulder-length knotted mess that is currently attached to his chin. And his gut would be a bit smaller. A weary grin pulls at his lips. _I suppose puttin’ on a few pounds doesn’t hurt when you’re being starved out in a Russian prison,_ he thinks, wincing as his lower lip cracks from the simple gesture. _Although,_ he muses as he tries to swallow away the sandpaper that seems to have wrapped itself around his throat, _some more water would be appreciated._

He hears voices and soldiers’ footsteps. He’s given up on trying to understand what they’re saying, and he begrudgingly wishes he had listened to Murray when the crazy bastard told him to learn Russian back at the police station. Before the Upside-down. Before the lab. Before everything went to shit… And before El. God, he wishes he could somehow tell her he is alive. That he is still fighting for her and that the blackhole hasn’t gotten him. Unfortunately, he doesn’t share his daughter’s ability in telekinesis superpowers.

The cell door next to his opens forcefully and he hears the prisoner frantically speak. During what Hopper can only assume are pleas for mercy and desperate attempts to grasp salvation, he feels his stomach drop. Every prisoner taken hasn’t come back. He knows that this is the last time he’ll hear from this “neighbor” of his. And while he does feel bad for the poor soul, he can’t help but worry for his own life. _How long have I got in here? How important am I to them? When will they realize I’m not worth keeping alive?_

Joyce’s face flashes in his mind. Her broken expression as they both realized he wouldn’t be able to make it out alive this time around. The tortured determination in her eyes because she _knew_ what she had to do. They both understood the stakes. And there was a strange sort of peace that settled in him then. He didn’t want to die, and he _still_ doesn’t. But if it came between choosing his own life or those he cared about, he’d lay his life down in a heartbeat. Joyce meant too much to him. El meant to much for him. Hell, even those brats—even _Mike Wheeler,_ meant too much to him.

He had watched her close her eyes as she struggled to follow through. In one final desperate attempt to figure something out, he rushed towards the edge of the platform, further away from the control room Joyce was still contemplating in. 

He hadn’t seen the ladder before. 

He hadn’t seen the goddamn ladder. 

The machine suddenly hums and hisses and he knew he only had a few more seconds before he’d be human goo splattered against the walls. So, he lunged for the ladder, practically flung himself down, and raced towards the first door he could find. One to his left, and one to his right. He chose right. He barreled through the door and quickly shut it behind him, covering his face as the Russian laser exploded, shaking the floor beneath him. For a moment, he was relieved. But in hindsight, he _really_ should’ve chosen left. 

When he looked up, he was met by a hoard of Russian guards, all armed and suddenly focused on him. _Remember, just smile and nod,_ he thought, praying they wouldn’t question the fact that he was in just in the room where their _very important weapon_ just mysteriously blew up. 

“Kto ty, chert voz'mi?” one solider questioned as another stepped past him and looked through the cracked glass door window. “Eto razusheno!” the other spoke in shock, “Razusheno!”

The guard who had addressed him looked up at the other by the door and then back at him. “Otvet’te mne! Kto ty!?” the guard repeats, lifting his gun and aiming it at Hopper, “Kto ty!?” 

And of course, he just smiled and nodded. It didn’t word. And now he’s chained to a wall in _god knows where_ ruing the fact he chose the right door. Which ended up being the _wrong_ door. He just wishes with all his being he could somehow reach out to them. Let them know he’s alive and… well just alive. It’s not like he’s living large right now. 

He faintly hears the terrifying screams far below him, echoing down the cold, stone walls. _I have to make it out of here,_ he thinks, shutting his eyes tightly. _I have to get back to my daughter._

**Author's Note:**

> I may or may not make a sequel one-shot to this where he somehow escapes and comes back to Hawkins years later... I haven't decided. However, I decided to mark this as 1/2 chapters anyway just in case. Let me know what you guys think and if you'd like to see some shot sweet sequel to this. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! Check out my Tumblr, @LovelySheree for some fanart and other fandom related posts.


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